HOA Borobudur_LXM

Lee Xue Mei 1104306

(Image taken from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Borobudur_Cross_Section_en.svg)

- Borobudur is a Mahayana Buddhist monument built in the 9th century located in Central Java, Indonesia.
- In Sanskrit, the name Borobudur is said to be derived from the words vihara Buddha uhr, which means the Buddhist monastery on the hill.

- Borobudur is a single giant stupa.
- It consists of 9 platforms- lower 6 are made of squares and the upper 3 are of circular.
- The upper platform has 72 small bell-shaped stupas surrounding a large middle stupa.
- Each platform represents one stage of enlightenment.
- Borobudur has 3 divisions representing the realms in Buddhist cosmology:

• Kamadhatu (world of desires) is represented by a base. It is the stage where men are influenced by negative impulses and are bound by lust. 
• Rupadhatu (world of forms) is represented by 5 square platforms. It is the stage where men have set themselves free from negative impulses such as lust but are still bound to appearance and shape. 
• Arupadhatu (the formless world) is represented by 3 circular platforms and a large stupa to indicate the transformation into the formless world, where non-existence of self is achieved. It is the stage where men are no longer controlled by lust, appearance and shape. 
• Arupa (the top part with large stupa) is the place where Buddha is residing, symbolizes nirvana. 

- Borobudur is a large teaching graphic telling the life story of Buddha towards Nirvana.
- The 2760 wall reliefs tell 4 main stories of Buddha:

• The law of karma or Karmavibhangga. It tells stories and gives examples of karma of both praiseworthy (e.g. love, loyalty) and blameworthy (e.g. rape, murder) activities.
• The birth of Buddha or Lalitavistara. Stories of Buddha's birth as Prince Siddhartha.
• The Jatakas and avadanas. Jatakas are stories about the Buddha before he was born, while Avadanas are similar to jatakas, but the story is not Buddha himself.
• The journeys of Sudhana searching for ultimate truth or Gandavyuha. Stories of Sudhana's searching of the highest wisdom.

- It is designed in Gupta architecture which reflects Indian influence in Indonesia.
- Its walls are sculptured in bas-reliefs/ low-reliefs (carving onto a wood or stone surface by removing its background) and the reliefs on main walls are read from right to left, while those on balustrade from left to right, for the purpose of Pradaksina, a ritual walking pilgrimage guided by staircase systems and corridors ascending to the top.
- The Buddha's statues are made of 6 different postures from bottom to the top level- earth, giving and helping, meditating, fearlessness, teaching and learning, and turning the wheel of dharma.

The Borobudur structure can be related to the Buddha's journey to Enlightenment which corresponds to the Hero's Journey. The entrance from the first platform- Kamadhatu into the second platform- Rupadhatu indicates the transition from the desire world into the world of forms, in which it is similar to Crossing the First Threshold in Hero's Journey. During the stay in the new world of forms, Buddha experienced Belly of The Whale, where he found himself in a completely alienated world and realized that he had been living in delusion (his old world) all his life. It is also marks the stage of  Initiation, where Buddha went through a lot of tests and suffers as Road of Trial, in order to no longer be influenced by appearance and shapes.

Meanwhile, in the third platform- Arupadhatu, which is the Formless World, Buddha was no longer be influenced by lust, appearance and shapes and achieved non-existence of self. It marks the stage of Apotheosis. Buddha chose not to return into his old world and resided in nirvana.


References:

Wikitravel. (July 12, 2012). Borobudur. Retrieved August 6, 2012, from http://wikitravel.org/en/Borobudur

Wikipedia (August 1, 2012). Borobudur. Retrieved August 6, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borobudur

Yunanto, W.U. (n.d.). Borobudur: The Biggest Buddhist Temple in The Ninth Century. Retrieved August 6, 2012, from http://www.yogyes.com/en/yogyakarta-tourism-object/candi/borobudur/

UNESCO. (n.d.). Borobudur Temple Compounds. Retrieved August 6, 2012, from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/592/